Qstack Poetry Anthology
Poems from Mata Haggis-Burridge, DC Wilkinson, and Maya Brown-Jackson
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Three talented poets—three wonderful poems. Qstack is pleased to present gorgeous verse by Mata Haggis-Burridge, D. C. Wilkinson and Maia Brown-Jackson, below… ⬇️⬇️⬇️
We Always Are
They can't stop us,
Because we come from them,
No matter where they hide,
We are among them,
We always are.
Hidden in the shadows,
In the closets,
In the darkest barrooms,
In alleys,
We're here,
We always are.
We can be unseen,
Nestled among their skeletons,
They bicker,
Poisoned by anger,
Selfishness and arrogance,
Prejudice and misplaced pride,
It roasts their blood,
But we remain together,
We always are.
They can't stop us,
They fear us,
Because we have power,
Because we know what we are,
We are unstoppable,
When they are exhausted,
We will still be here,
We always are.
They laugh in today's light,
But the sun moves,
Times change,
We have been patient,
We can endure, again,
We will be here,
When they are old and dying,
We will be here,
When their hearts flicker and fade,
Or flutter in fear,
We will be here,
We always are.
Bio: Mata Haggis-Burridge (they/he) is a British/European horror writer publishing weekly micro-fiction and writing craft articles. They are querying with a contemporary supernatural horror novel, a writer/designer of video games, and a professor of video game research.
Ten Days in Eden Lake
Ten Days in Eden Lake
We chanced upon
each other
in Madrid,
at a time
when my detractors
called me
Federica La Loca,
and my faithful,
Garcia Lorca.
You,
my sweet Philip,
were my savior!
I was smitten
by your charms
and the sparkle
in your eyes.
A passing fancy,
I thought,
when you returned
to Montpellier
in your beloved
America.
But then,
you beckoned me
to join you
at a cabin
by a lake.
I crossed the ocean
and slipped
into a dream.
Ten blissful days
it lasted,
yet still I hear
the soft crackling
of the wood
burning in the fireplace,
as we worshipped
our bodies,
beautiful,
sacred
and yes,
oh yes,
electric,
as our dear Walt Whitman
would say.
Orpheus and Eurydice II
(Previously published in BlazeVOX Books, Fall 2023)
You know you ought to stay away,
but you followed me down and
now refuse to release my fingers
from where they tangle with yours.
This lifetime wasn’t enough,
you’re thinking.
But we both know the gods envy
the car crash of our mortality.
Time is run out for us.
Go, I snarl, when you seem paralyzed.
That was just the canary in the coal mine.
But I don’t blame you for looking back;
I’ve always courted Death like a familiar friend,
and you don’t want to return alone.
But as you remember that justice
and revenge are both women,
and see the scars along my form,
and the wanton, unasked-for destruction in my wake—
Humbled, trembling, you turn away,
knowing that I, and I alone,
have already been condemned.
Don’t worry, love,
I promise you will see the sun again.
If we who fight
become the monster,
the abyss,
the void—
Then I walk into battle with my brow dripping blood
and my eyes shadowed—
(my knuckles have always been more bruised
than my lips, anyway)
And I know that never again will I feel holy—
Are you back in the light,
dear Orpheus?
Do you understand, now, that
the dying grass is as close as we can get?
So let this trembling, forsaken body run,
this parched throat let loose a battle cry,
because I am already become a harbinger of doom,
and I will not let them take you, too.
Bio: A born and bred New Yorker, Maia Brown-Jackson made the pragmatic decision to study literature at the University of Chicago, which was naturally followed by a series of odd jobs in galleries and coffee shops and art museums, until she strayed to ISIS-occupied Iraq to work with Yazidi survivors of genocide. This life-changing experience motivated her to attend graduate school to study terrorism and human rights. Maia now investigates fraud and Taliban intervention in humanitarian aid meant for the people of Afghanistan.
Last year she published the short poetry collection: And My Blood Sang.
Find more about Maia on her website.
Thank you, Mata, DC and Maya for these gorgeous poems (and thank you, Troy, for your curation) ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
Thank you for giving Nina a boost!